Your customer has found the right product. They have chosen a colour, checked the reviews and added it to their basket. Then delivery appears at checkout.
Would removing that charge get the order over the line? Or would a discount on the products give them a better reason to buy?
It is tempting to settle the question with a bigger number in the subject line. But an offer has two jobs: it needs to make sense to the customer and leave enough money in the order for your business.
At EmailFlow, our practical starting point is that free shipping can work better for a customer buying one product, while a discount can become more attractive when someone plans to buy several. Product type matters too. That is our experience, not a universal rule or a promise about your store's results.
The useful question is: which offer fits this basket, this customer and your margins?
Start with what the customer actually saves
A percentage can sound generous without being the better deal.
Imagine a customer buying a £30 product with a £4.95 delivery charge. A 10% discount saves £3. Free shipping saves £4.95. For that basket, removing delivery gives the customer the larger saving.
Now imagine three of those products in the basket. The subtotal is £90. If delivery remains £4.95, the same 10% discount saves £9. The discount now has a higher cash value.
These are hypothetical examples, not client results. They illustrate why the offer should change with the basket rather than follow a rule such as “free shipping always wins”.
| Illustrative basket | Saving with 10% off | Saving with free shipping |
|---|---|---|
| One £30 product | £3.00 | £4.95 |
| Three £30 products | £9.00 | £4.95 |
| Five £30 products | £15.00 | £4.95 |
For a simple percentage-off offer, the point where the two savings match is:
Delivery charge ÷ discount rate = basket subtotal
With £4.95 delivery and 10% off, the savings are equal at £49.50. Below that subtotal, free shipping offers the greater cash saving. Above it, the discount does.
This calculation assumes unchanged delivery pricing, eligible products and no other promotions. Real orders can include exclusions, different delivery zones and existing free-shipping thresholds. Check the customer's actual checkout total before writing the email.
Count value and margin, not just products
Two products do not automatically mean a discount is the right choice. One £250 item and five £8 items create very different decisions.
Product type also affects the economics. A lightweight skincare bundle may cost roughly the same to ship as one item. A basket containing several heavy homeware products may move into a more expensive delivery bracket. A product with a narrow margin may leave little room for either incentive.
Before choosing an offer, review:
- The usual value and contents of the basket.
- Product cost and margin before promotions.
- Actual delivery and fulfilment costs.
- The delivery amount charged to the customer.
- Existing offers, exclusions and likely returns.
The delivery fee you remove is not necessarily the amount you pay the carrier. If a customer normally pays £4.95 but shipping costs you £6.50, free shipping removes that £4.95 contribution while the underlying shipping bill remains.
Likewise, a 10% sales discount is not a 10% reduction in profit. Your product and fulfilment costs do not fall just because you reduce the price. Work through the remaining contribution before deciding what you can afford.
When free shipping is worth testing
Free shipping is a useful candidate when the delivery charge is a meaningful part of a small basket, particularly when the customer already wants the product.
It also gives you a straightforward message. Instead of asking the shopper to calculate a percentage, you can state the benefit directly: “Standard delivery is on us.”
But make the conditions visible. If the offer applies only to UK standard delivery, say so. If there is a minimum spend, place it near the offer and button. A shopper should not discover the main restriction only after clicking through.
For example:
Subject: Your next order, with UK standard delivery on us
Opening: Found something you like? Use DELIVERY at checkout for free UK standard delivery on eligible orders.
Button: Shop with free delivery
This is sample copy, not an active EmailFlow promotion. Replace the code and conditions with your store's real offer.
If you already provide free delivery on the customer's basket, repeating it as an exclusive incentive adds no new saving. Choose another message or explain the existing benefit honestly.
When a discount is worth testing
A percentage discount is a useful candidate for a larger basket because its cash value increases with eligible spend. It may suit customers putting together a routine, buying complementary products or stocking up.
However, avoid assuming a bigger order is automatically a better order. A customer can spend more while leaving your business with less contribution after discounts, fulfilment and returns.
You can consider a fixed-amount saving or a minimum-spend offer when that better fits your economics. The important part is to calculate the cost rather than choose the incentive with the loudest headline.
For example:
Subject: Building your next bundle? Save 10%
Opening: Bring your favourites together and save 10% on eligible products with BUNDLE10. Check the offer details before you order.
Button: Build your basket
Again, this is illustrative copy. Explain minimum spend, excluded products and expiry wherever they apply. Use a deadline only when it is real.
For a customer who needs more confidence rather than a lower price, useful product guidance may be the stronger starting point. Your welcome email series can explain product benefits and answer objections before introducing an incentive.
Make the email and checkout agree
A persuasive email cannot rescue a confusing offer setup.
Shopify supports free-shipping discounts with eligibility conditions and minimum purchase requirements. Its current guidance also explains how discounted product prices count towards minimum purchase amounts. Check those rules when combining offers, because a product discount can affect whether the basket qualifies. Shopify: free shipping discounts
Discount combinations require attention too. Shopify allows certain product or order discounts to combine with free shipping when configured appropriately; do not assume every code stacks automatically. Shopify: combining discounts
Before sending, test the offer with a qualifying basket, a basket below the threshold, an excluded product and an existing discount. Check the intended delivery region and confirm that the email's promised saving matches checkout.
If you use customer segments or automated messages, check that the targeting information is reliable. Do not describe someone's current basket based only on an old purchase. For abandoned-cart emails, the offer should still make sense if the customer changes the basket before returning.
Test the offer without changing everything else
Start with a specific question: “For eligible customers with smaller baskets, does free shipping produce better order contribution than 10% off?” That is more useful than asking which offer is best for every subscriber.
Split comparable eligible recipients randomly where your sending setup supports it. Keep the products, timing, layout and core message similar, while changing the offer and the copy needed to explain it. Make sure recipients can redeem the offer they receive without accidentally receiving both test messages.
Where volume permits, a no-incentive comparison group can help you judge whether either promotion improves the outcome over your usual message. If the audience is small, avoid drawing a confident conclusion from a handful of orders. There is no universal sample size or test duration that makes every store's result reliable.
Review more than email opens or total sales. Compare orders per delivered email, revenue per delivered email and contribution per delivered email, using a consistent measurement window. Include the cost of the incentive and allow for returns when evaluating the result.
Use Omnisend reporting to examine the response, then reconcile the relevant orders and costs in Shopify and your business records. Platform-attributed revenue is useful reporting, but it does not by itself establish how many purchases the offer caused.
Choose the next offer with a clear reason
For your next campaign, select one customer group, calculate both savings on a representative basket and check the remaining margin. Then write the email around the actual benefit and test the full checkout journey.
Free shipping may be the better starting point for a single-item order. A discount may be more compelling for a larger basket. Neither should become a permanent rule without evidence from your products and customers.
Want help deciding which offers belong in your emails? Explore EmailFlow's Omnisend services to discuss your campaigns, automation and the numbers behind your next promotion.